Archive By Section - Food+Drink

I emulate Biblical role models like Joshua, David, Peter and Paul. Jesus is more than a role model. He's God. I also look up to military heroes like Francis Marion, John Singleton Mosby, Alvin York, Audie Murphy and Paul R. Smith. It's my culinary heroes, though, who teach me new recipes and inspire me to develop my own skills in the kitchen or at the grill.

Cajun, Creole and low-country cooking are similar, I think, because they're culturally linked. I say it's not the common spices or pork seasonings but the diversity that makes these similar cuisines so delicious.

I'm not making light of Thanksgiving Day by suggesting we should be thankful for leftovers. To have enough is a feast. To have leftovers is a blessing of abundance, and that's what Thanksgiving is all about.

Back in the Stone Ages - before hot wings were invented to satiate armchair quarterbacks, and when pro-football games were on Friday, Saturday or Monday and did not interfere with Sunday church services - football fanatics chowed down pounds of cheese, summer sausage and tater chips during the game.

Sometimes at a public gathering someone will privately comment on one of my food columns. Most are kind, telling me how much they agree with my assessment of steaks, seafood or certain restaurants. Others tell me up front I got it all wrong about which is better - North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Memphis, Kansas City or St. Louis barbecue.

You probably wouldn't notice the place if you passed it a hundred times, maybe on your way to Lake Mayer for a picnic, or coming back from a shopping trip at The Pig in Sandfly - unless you have an eye for Spanish and a taste for delectable baked goods.